Powertel Communications, a subsidiary of ZESA (Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority), has disclosed that it plans to invest upwards of US$50 million into expanding its fibre network to improve rural connectivity across the country.

Philippines-based Now Group signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned corporation the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), to deploy telecoms infrastructure in the Cagayan province.

Amdocs, a provider of software and services to communications and media companies, has been busy lately, with announcements in the past few days of major deals in South Africa, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Telecoms infrastructure provider Helios Towers revealed a hike in revenue and profit in its H1 results and announced raises to its outlook despite high debt.

India is to impose a licensing requirement for imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers with immediate effect. What does that mean for companies like Apple and Samsung? Will it boost local manufacturing? And how will it affect prices?

You might reasonably expect that cab passengers using the Uber ride-hailing app in Kenya could already pay for trips via Safaricom’s mobile payment service M-Pesa – but you would be wrong; the arrival of the service was announced this week.

Veon has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rakuten Symphony with a focus on rebuilding infrastructure in Ukraine through collaborative investment in Open RAN and digital services.

UPDATE: Emtel Mauritius has announced the launch of its 5G mobile network alongside a new agreement with Tecnotree.

India’s Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed a consortium agreement with industry partners for the collaborative development of a disaggregated 5G radio access network (5G RAN) solution.

Operator Africell Sierra Leone is to roll out a high-capacity disaggregated IP/MPLS backbone to deliver mobile and fixed services, with support from IP Infusion, a manufacturer of carrier-grade networking software.

MTN Ghana has reportedly seen a reduction in subscriber numbers after it blocked 4.9 million SIMs in the last six months. This followed a directive from regulator the National Communications Authority to block SIM cards not registered with the Ghana Card (a form of ID).

Apple supplier Foxconn is reportedly in motion to increase investment to over US$1.2 billion in India, by pumping US$500 million into two new factories, a move to further divest away from China, reported Bloomberg.

International wholesale telecom service provider Zain Omantel International (ZOI) has formed a strategic wholesale international agreement with telco and ICT player du from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company.

Georgian telecoms service provider Cellfie Mobile has announced that Nokia has won an expansion deal to upgrade its 4G network and introduce 5G-ready network services.

Multiple recent announcements in the satcoms sector underline its continuing growth and relevance but also research and innovation that could change the way satellite communications services are delivered in the coming years.

In an interesting illustration of contrasting fortunes in the Indian telecoms market, operator Bharti Airtel has prepaid a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) debt while rival Vodafone Idea (Vi) is gearing up for admittedly smaller payments, but payments that are part of a much larger overall debt burden.

As part of its ongoing modernisation programme, CelcomDigi announced the consolidation of two clusters of networks in east Malaysia.